LES FILMS DU FLEUVE AND ARCHIPEL 35 PRESENT A FILM BY JEAN-PIERRE AND LUC DARDENNE

WINNER BEST DIRECTOR PRIZE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL PHOTO : CHRISTINE PLENUS PHOTO : IDIR BEN ADDI OLIVIER BONNAUD MYRIEM AKHEDDIOU VICTORIA BLUCK CLAIRE BODSON OTHMANE MOUMEN SCREENPLAY BY JEAN-PIERRE AND LUC DARDENNE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY BENOIT DERVAUX EDITOR MARIE-HÉLÈNE DOZO SOUND ENGINEERS JEAN-PIERRE DURET JULIEN SICART SOUND MIXER THOMAS GAUDER PRODUCTION DESIGNER IGOR GABRIEL COSTUME DESIGNER MAÏRA RAMEDHAN-LEVI FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTORS CAROLINE TAMBOUR PRODUCTION MANAGER OLIVIER ABRASSART POST-PRODUCTION MANAGERS SÉBASTIEN DEMEYERE CÉDRIC ETTOUATI PRODUCERS JEAN-PIERRE AND LUC DARDENNE DENIS FREYD LINE PRODUCER DELPHINE TOMSON ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS TANGUY DEKEYSER ARLETTE ZYLBERBERG COPRODUCTION LES FILMS DU FLEUVE ARCHIPEL 35 FRANCE 2 CINEMA PROXIMUS RTBF (BELGIAN TELEVISION) WITH DE PARTICIPATION OF CANAL+ CINÉ+ FRANCE TELEVISIONS WALLONIA THE BRUXELLES-CAPITALE REGION PRODUCED WITH THE HELP OF THE CENTRE DU CINÉMA ET DE L’AUDIOVISUEL DE LA FÉDÉRATION WALLONIE-BRUXELLES WITH THE SUPPORT OF EURIMAGES THE TAX SHELTER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF BELGIUM CASA KAFKA PICTURES CASA KAFKA PICTURES MOVIE TAX SHELTER EMPOWERED BY BELFIUS IN ASSOCIATION WITH DIAPHANA CINÉART AND BIM DISTRIBUZIONE INTERNATIONAL SALES WILD BUNCH LES FILMS DU FLEUVE AND ARCHIPEL 35 PRESENT YOUNG AHMED A FILM BY JEAN-PIERRE AND LUC DARDENNE

WINNER BEST DIRECTOR PRIZE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

1H24 – DCP – 1.85 – 5.1

THEATRICAL SALES PRESS

Chris Wells Emilie Spiegel, [email protected] Director of Theatrical Sales Meghan Kasel, [email protected] KINO LORBER David Ninh, [email protected] [email protected] DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT

When we finished writing this screenplay, we realized that, in a way, we had written the story of the fruitless attempts made by various characters to dissuade the young fanatic Ahmed, our main character, from carrying out his murderous plan. Whoever these characters may be – his teacher Inès, his mother, his brother, his sister, his caseworker, the judge, the psychologist at the detention centre, his lawyer, the owners of the farm where he is placed, their daughter Louise – not one of them manages to reach the hard, mysterious core of this boy ready to kill his teacher in the name of his religious convictions. When we began writing, we never imagined that we were creating such an inscrutable character, capable of eluding us to such an extent, of leaving us without any possibility of a dramatic construction to catch up with him and bring him out of his murderous madness. Even Youssouf, SYNOPSIS the imam at the fundamentalist mosque, this magnetic figure who has harnessed the energy of the adolescent’s ideals to focus it on purity and In Belgium, today, the destiny of young Ahmed (13), caught between his hatred of impurity, even he, the master, is surprised by his disciple’s imam’s ideals of purity and life’s temptations. determination. But could it be any different? Could it be any different when the fanatic is so young, almost a child, and when, moreover, his charismatic master encourages him to venerate a martyred cousin, a dead man? How to halt the headlong rush towards murder of this fanatical boy, cut off as he is from the kindness of his educators, from the love of his mother, from the friendship and romantic games of young Louise? How can he be stopped in a moment when, without resorting to naïve optimism or an implausible happy ending, he could open up to life, converting to the impurity he has loathed until that point? What scene, what shots, could allow us to film that transformation and trouble the gaze of the audience that has entered Ahmed’s night, as close as possible to that which possesses him, and to that from which he would finally be delivered? Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne JEAN-PIERRE a n d CAST

LUC DARDENNE Ahmed Inès Mother FILMOGRAPHY Idir Ben Addi Myriem Akheddiou Claire Bodson

Caseworker Louise Imam Youssouf Jean-Pierre Dardenne was born in Engis (Belgium) in April 1951. Olivier Bonnaud Victoria Bluck Othmane Moumen Luc Dardenne was born in Awirs (Belgium) in March 1954. Together they have directed numerous documentaries. CREW In 1975, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne founded the production company Dérives, which has produced more than eighty documentaries, Written & Directed by Sound Editor Post Production including their own. Jean-Pierre and Valène Leroy Supervisor (Belgium) Luc Dardenne Sébastien Demeyere In 1994, they founded the production company Les Films du Fleuve. Mix 1st Assistant Director Thomas Gauder Post Production SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTORS Caroline Tambour Supervisor (France) Production Designer Cédric Ettouati 1987: Falsch 2008: Lorna’s Silence DP Igor Gabriel Starring Bruno Cremer Starring Arta Dobroshi, Jérémie Renier, Benoit Dervaux Stills Photographer Costume Designer 1992: Je pense à vous Christine Plenus Best Screenplay – Cannes FF 2008 1st Assistant Camera Starring Fabienne Babe, Prix Lux – 2008 Maïra Ramedhan-Levi Robin Renucci Amaury Duquenne Producers 2011: Make-up Jean-Pierre and 1996: The Promise Starring Cécile de France, Chief Editor Natali Tabareau- Starring Jérémie Renier, Thomas Doret, Jérémie Renier Luc Dardenne, , Assita Ouédraogo Grand Prize of the Jury – Cannes FF 2011 Marie-Hélène Dozo Vieuille Denis Freyd 1999: Rosetta 2014: Two Days, One Night Editor Location Manager Executive Producer Starring Emilie Dequenne, Fabrizio Rongione, Starring Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione Anne Yernaux, Olivier Gourmet European Film Awards – Best Actress Tristan Meunier Guillaume Fernandez Delphine Tomson Palme d’Or and Best Actress for Emilie for Marion Cotillard 2015 Dequenne – Cannes FF 1999 Academy Award® Best Actress Sound Production Manager Associate Producers Nomination for Marion Cotillard 2015 2002: The Son Jean-Pierre Duret, Olivier Abrassart Tanguy Dekeyser, Starring Olivier Gourmet, 2016: The Unknown Girl Julien Sicart Arlette Zylberber Morgan Marinne, Isabelle Soupart Starring Adèle Haenel, Olivier Bonnaud Best Actor for Olivier Gourmet – Cannes FF 2002 2019: Young Ahmed CREDITS 2005: The Child Starring Idir Ben Addi, Olivier Bonnaud, Starring Jérémie Renier, Déborah François, Myriem Akheddiou, Victoria Bluck, A Les Films du Fleuve, Archipel 35, France 2 Cinema, Proximus, RTBF (Belgian Television) co-production, Jérémie Ségard Claire Bodson, Othmane Moumen with the participation of Canal +, Ciné +, France Televisions, Wallimage (Wallonia), the Brussels-Capital Palme d’Or – Cannes FF 2005 Region, produced with assistance from the Film and Audiovisual Center of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and Eurimages, with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government, Casa Kafka Pictures, Casa Kafka Pictures Movie Tax Shelter empowered by Belfius, in association with Wild Bunch, Diaphana, Cinéart and BIM Distribuzione. International Sales Wild Bunch.